We might have rising levels of satisfaction, but it's probably not because of voluntary work. Photograph: Alamy

78.5% of employed people in the UK said they were more satisfied than dissatisfied with their jobs. But in 2005, just 70% of people said the same. Has the rise in unemployment meant that those with jobs are simply more grateful? What else do the numbers tell us about our work-life balance?

82% of Brits never volunteer

In 2010/11, the UK Household Longitudinal Survey asked people how often they volunteered for unpaid work. Over 8 in 10 people said they had never or almost never done any voluntary work.

But that doesn't necessarily suggest an individualistic country - those who do volunteer are likely to do it regularly. 9.1% of people say they do voluntary work at least once a week compared to just 1.7% of people who do it once a year or less.

Volunteers at the Rotherham food bank. Photograph: David Sillitoe

10% think they have a good work-life balance

Just 1 in 10 employees strongly agree when asked if they've struck the right balance between their professional and personal lives - although that figure is slightly lower for men (0.8 in 10) and higher for women (1.3 in 10).

The sector also makes a difference - reporting a healthy work-life balance is less common in the public sector than the private sector. The voluntary sector has the lowest fraction where just 4% of people strongly agree that they have the right balance.

Photograph: Paul Steel/Corbis

Bothered by bosses

In a separate survey also released today, people were asked about the things that make them stressed at work. 1 in 3 respondents said "frustration with poor management" - the second highest response for the 1,939 people interviewed was "excessive workload".

Image: ONS, September 2013

Job security falling

So it might seem strange work satisfaction is on the rise, despite those levels of stress. But a closer look reveals that it's a bit more complicated than that. Although the statistics show that overall satisfaction levels are increasing, once you peel away the different types of responses, you'll spot that those who say they are "completely satisfied" make up a much smaller fraction, and a shrinking one. In 2009/10 18.5% of people were wholly satisfied with their jobs, but a year later this had fallen to 16.9%.

More tellingly, there's a breakdown for the different sources of satisfaction. It's there that the statistics indicate the effect of the financial crisis - the only aspect of job satisfaction to have fallen since 2004 is job security. Back then, 64% said they were satisfied with their job security, now it's 59%.

Do you think the latest numbers are a reliable snapshot of our working lives? Share your views and suggest other numbers worth considering.